Letters say thanks to local legislators for ban on gay marriage’ ballot amendment

Thursday

Jun 28, 2007 at 12:01 AMJun 28, 2007 at 5:57 AM

Thank you to our representatives for making the right decision by voting no at the Constitutional Convention, disallowing an amendment to be put on the ballot that would have denied equal rights to citizens of Massachusetts.

To the editor:

Thank you Rep. Festa and Sen. Tisei.

Thank you for your votes at the Constitutional Convention. Thank you for looking beyond politics to make a difficult political choice. Thank you for upholding the constitution as the basis of the rights we all share. Thank you for not allowing the constitution to be demeaned by prolonging the debate of a discriminatory amendment.

Your votes were a positive response to the languishing belief that “separate but equal” should be good enough. Your votes faithfully reflected our common desire for justice and equality — values at the very heart of Massachusetts history.

Paul wrote in I Corinthians that “love is patient.” Our gay and lesbian relatives, friends, neighbors, coworkers and fellow citizens have been patient for a very long time. Now their love has prevailed and that blessing enriches all of us.

David M. NorcrossWest Highland Avenue

Melrose

To the editor:

This is in response to Peter Gianino’s letter claiming that our three representatives to the Massachusetts Legislature — Rep. Festa, Sen. McGee and Sen. Tisei — cheated the voters of Massachusetts out of their constitutional right to vote on gay marriage (“Writer says he’s been ‘cheated of his rights,’” June 21, Free Press).

Nothing could be further from the truth, Mr. Gianino.

If you read the state constitution, you will see that it makes provisions for the initiative petition process, whereby voters can collect signatures to place an issue on the ballot. The constitution, however, also stipulates that before any such question is placed on the ballot, it must receive at least 25 percent of the votes of the Legislature meeting in a constitutional convention for two consecutive sessions. That, too, is a constitutional requirement.

It is not our constitutional right to vote on every issue … that is why we elect representatives. It is only our constitutional right to vote on referendum questions that receive the required number of signatures and at least 25 percent of the votes of the state Legislature meeting in constitutional convention. The question of gay marriage did not meet these requirements. And so, according to the state constitution, it does not belong on the ballot.

So, please, do not throw around accusations that our legislators “cheated” us. They did not. And I applaud them for their courageous votes. The civil rights of a minority should never be put to a popular vote.

Steven GoeckeRowe Street

Melrose

To the editor:

Thank you to our representatives for making the right decision by voting no at the Constitutional Convention, disallowing an amendment to be put on the ballot that would have denied equal rights to citizens of Massachusetts.

We disagree with Mr. Gianino’s letter of June 21 (“Writer says he’s been ‘cheated of his rights,’” June 21, Free Press). It is actually not his constitutional right to vote on the proposed amendment; rather, it is our legislators’ constitutional responsibility to decide whether he should vote. In their great wisdom to protect society from the tyranny of the majority, the framers of our Constitution very deliberately charged us, the people, with electing representatives who would exercise good judgment in matters such as this. While Mr. Gianino may disagree with our legislators’ judgment (and vote against them in the next election), we must all accept that, of those entrusted with this constitutional responsibility, greater than three quarters decided that it was not in the best interests of our society to expose a question of civil rights to a public referendum.

We also disagree with Mr. Gianino when he states that “homosexual marriage” is one of the most important social issues confronting our society today. The social issues that should be most important to our society, and the ones that we should be fighting to change, include the high rate of poverty, outrageous health care costs, increase in violence, among others.

Jane and Chuck FoleyCottage Street

Melrose

To the editor:

As a participant and citizen of this commonwealth, it is very hard for me to argue against the fundamental right of people to vote and make choices in our system of government. On the other hand, my conscience could not reconcile a vote to continue a process depriving people of a right constitutionally granted them. This is precisely why I am proud of our elected officials for rejecting the gay marriage amendment to the 2008 ballot.

Leaving personal or religious views aside, this is an issue of fairness and tolerance. The amendment, is clearly discriminatory and does not differ much further than attempts in the 1950s and 1960s to ban inter-racial marriages. Furthermore if this question was allowed to go forth and if passed, it would have drained the commonwealth of more important issues at hand over the next 18 months.

Last week, the author of a letter to the editor on the same subject claimed that his rights were “deprived” when our legislators voted against putting the proposal on the 2008 ballot (“Writer says he’s been ‘cheated of his rights,’” June 21, Free Press). Actually, our legislators followed the process as written in the Massachusetts Constitution. When constitutional amendments are proposed via ballot initiative, it is the obligation of the legislature through a Constitutional Convention to allow or disallow such questions further. The legislators honored the constitution and the rights of our citizens by not allowing such a divisive measure forward.

Never before have I been so happy to be a citizen of the great commonwealth of Massachusetts than I was on June 14, 2007. On this day, we continued the long tradition of tolerance and civil rights that has, for years, been the hallmark of this state and great nation.